Catholicism 101: Forever Learning and Living the Faith
Learning the Catholic Faith is a lifelong process. For many of us, it may have had a rocky start from a lack-luster classroom experience, being a disinterested student, or a lack of exposure to the teachings of the Faith. Catholicism 101 is here to fill in the gaps from your Religious Education experience as well as serve as an aid in your lifelong learning of the Faith. Not only will we talk about WHAT the Church teaches, but WHY she teaches it. Hopefully along the way we will find ourselves falling deeper into the heart of Christ as we learn more about His heart for us.
"Always be ready to give an explanation to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope." 1 Peter 3:15
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Emily Gipson | Director of Catechetical Formation - St. Mary of the Woods Catholic Church | Whitesville, KY
Catholicism 101: Forever Learning and Living the Faith
E1: The Domestic Church and Education of Children
o Catechism of the Catholic Church (2223) – “Parents have the first responsibility for the education of their children.”
o Catechism of the Catholic Church (2226) – “Family catechesis precedes, accompanies, and enriches other forms of instruction in the faith. Parents have the mission of teaching their children to pray and to discover their vocation as children of God.”
o National Directory for Catechesis - “Parents are the most influential agents of catechesis for their children. They have a unique responsibility for the education of their children; they are the first educators or catechists.”
o Familiaris Consortio (JP2) - “Hence, parents must be acknowledged as the first and foremost educators of their children. Their role as educators is so decisive that scarcely anything can compensate for their failure in it.”
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· The Church teaches that the primary purposes for the Sacrament of Marriage are (1) for the good and unity of the spouses—to lead each other to heaven, and (2) for the procreation and education of children. Essentially, as a married man or woman, you are called to lead your family to heaven.
· If we want our children to get to heaven, we are entrusted with the responsibility of cultivating their love for the Lord and building a strong foundation for their relationship with God.
o You can’t fall in love with someone that you don’t know!!! We can understand catechesis (teaching the faith) as introducing and helping our children come to know the Lord—who he is, how he loves us, and what he calls us to do out of love.
· The Church is always emphasizing that it is first and foremost the parent’s privilege and responsibility to educate their children in the faith:
o Catechism of the Catholic Church (2223) – “Parents have the first responsibility for the education of their children.”
o Catechism of the Catholic Church (2226) – “Family catechesis precedes, accompanies, and enriches other forms of instruction in the faith. Parents have the mission of teaching their children to pray and to discover their vocation as children of God.”
o National Directory for Catechesis - “Parents are the most influential agents of catechesis for their children. They have a unique responsibility for the education of their children; they are the first educators or catechists.”
o Familiaris Consortio (JP2) - “Hence, parents must be acknowledged as the first and foremost educators of their children. Their role as educators is so decisive that scarcely anything can compensate for their failure in it.”
· Push-and-pull of two concepts: parents always want their children to be better off than they were themselves, but you can’t give what you don’t have.
o When you get married and when you have children you have to recognize the reality that you are no longer responsible for only yourself, but for your spouse and your children too. When you get your children baptized, you must recognize that your own faith life is responsible for your child’s growing faith.
o If you want your child to have a strong faith life, you must first grow in your own faith.
§ If you don’t want to get up and go to Church on Sunday morning for yourself, then you find the motivation to get up and go for your children. You will still receive grace even if it’s not your primary motivation for going!
· Role of the Church in the education of parents and children
o The Church and your parish is responsible for aiding parents in the education of their children as it recognizes the family as the first and most important teacher of the faith. The Church is NOT to be a replacement for family catechesis, nor is it sufficient on its own as the sole teacher of the faith in a child’s life. Rather, the Church is “the heart of the liturgical life of Christian families” (CCC 2226). The Church’s Eucharistic celebration is from where all family catechesis comes and is directed towards.
o Especially for sacraments – doing sacramental preparation with your children should not be viewed as “additional homework” – it is a graced opportunity to share faith with your child as you prepare them to take a monumental step in their faith journey. They begin to see and hear from YOU why YOUR FAMILY makes it a priority to go to Mass every Sunday. Again, it begins with your own faith.
